Newspaper Page Text
SUNDAY
JANUARY 22
Busy Hermosillo, the Wide Awake Capital of Sonora, Mexico
IT DOES not require" reference to
Humboldt's . Classical volumes to
realize the meagerness of the mod
ern scholars and travelers' contrib
ution to our "knowledge of the Pacific
coast of Mexico, but It is the specific
economic bearing of this" area to the
commerce of Los Angeles that la of
chief interest to Californlans.
The' Paclflo const of Mexico, speak
ing In general terms, is equal in length
and certainly equal in resources to the
territory between Sltka and San Diego.
It possesses a population In round
numbers of something over four
millions— all on the west side of the
Mexican Sierras. ''"•,'.;
' The United States Is about to spend
$200,000,000 to reach this area through
• the*Panatna canal, but, preceding It,
there will be six if not seven trans
continental ' railroads, which are now
trying hard to reach these waters, the
wavewash of which can almost be
heard at Yuma from the upper end of
the California gulf. . These railroads
are respectively: The 'Mexican • gov
ernment line from' "Vera Cruz to Te
hanntepeo and Sallns j Cruz; the
,' Mexican Central to Acapulco; a cor
responding outlet of the same road to
Manzanilln; the - International to Ma
zatlan' from Durango; the "Orient"
("Stlllwell") to Topolobampo, and the
Sierra : Madre ("Col. Green's road")
across ' Chihuahua ;. over, the . Sierra
Madres to a- Sonora harbor " not ■ yet
' named. ,In '• the meanwhile a direct
route , : through the heart •. of . Sonora,
the Yaqul valley, is being projected by
Los | Angeles ' pioneers . of Sonora, the
Richardsons. But these men are more
at homo in Central : Sonora- than on
Broadway, Los Angeles. ■ ■.
[ One of the very picturesque events
■ considered from a Los Angeles point of
. view Is that Canada has just concluded
a| formal j treaty with Mexico, ..sending
ai member of -her. cabinet: for that pur
pose. ;By thlstreaty:she-opens'a ieg
uiar. steamboat;. trafflcl between British
Columbia and - all leading .ports on the
Paclflt coast of. Mexleoji a correspond
ing ■ line .on- the between
Vera Cruz and Montreal. ,".- In the mean
while, Capt. Hancock's flag-»\vaves In
solitary splendor across ' the Catallna
" channel in ample evidence of what Los
Angeles "Is going to do" with the San
I'edro breukwaters. San Francisco,
','nlow' and conservative," enjoys a
quiet nap, .according to the Los An
geles hustler's 'idea of her, and while
she Bleeps helps ; herself to a million
ilollina' worth 'of monthly trade In the
wholesale business of the Gulf of (,'ull
forola' -trade alone.
The 'ttate of . Bonoru came into «ep
Los Angeles Herald.
arate existence In IS3O-1831, being until
that time part of Blnnloa. Its first cap
ital wag Alamos, which was then, as
now, the center of a very rich . and
developed mining area. But before
either of 'these 'two cities came into
existence Arlzpe, In the district of tho
name name, a hundred odd miles to
the northeast of Hermoelllo, .wns more
Important than either. The story of
Arlzpe Is a most fascinating chapter.
Through its official personnel In Its
"palaclo" Spain ' ruled this region.
Through the palaclo passed the treas
ures from: all Alta California, In
which were Included not only Califor
nia of today, but Arizona and New
Mexico. It was the Inland San Fran
cisco of the Spanish conqulstadores,
and through the portals of its palace
and its mint passed the bullion and
bars on their way to Jalisco, 800 miles
south, thence to be transhipped via
Vera Cruz by hundreds of galleons
across the seas to the courts of "Philip
and Isabella. •
In the early * eighteenth century the
United- States also drew on Arlzpe,
Sonora, for' nearly all Its gold. From
Arlzpe there arlved.ln the last years
of the seventeenth century an intrepid
soldier of the Spanish; . army, Capt.
Hermosillo, with Instructions to found
there a military, outpost of Arlzpe,
which should serve the double purpose
of a penal colony and also Institute
order among 1 the Pltigurenas, which
was the name of A small tribe located
there.- The new ■■ military settlement
was named "Pltlc" for a time. During
the war of independence Capt. Hermo
sillo joined the native forces, - and th<?
service thus rendered the new republic
Justly commemorates his SJ career by
naming, the now beautiful city for him.
The original^ city,: or, rather, -military
'post, was on the north side of • Sierra
de la*- Campana,' .near the river, and
now nearly the geographical center of
the .city. ■•.. ;; : f- ■ , V-.-'-. '-; .■■■.. .' j
■ As the state has- developed the : loca
tion, of ! Hermosillo as Its capital has
► justified ',- Itself \ more , and more, and
Hermoslllo was never , more .-. firmly as
sured of Its permanent position aa such
[than today. The reasons are 'jointly
. geographical, j administrative, and i es
pecially commercial. .
j ' Capital cities in the United States,
BIRDBEY£ r viEW : OF HERMOSILLO
HISTORIC RUIN 3OF BAN ANTONIO PARISH CHURCH
with but a few exceptions, are rarely
conspicuous as commercial centers.
Hermoslllo, on the contrary, is the
capital of Bonora commercially, social
ly and intellectually, an well as the
center ofilts administration. .
Oomerclally Hermosillo is in close
touch with Europe. . Its imports via
the nearest seaport of Uuaymas aggre
gate many hundreds ■of thousands of
MILITARY DRILL, HIGH BCHOOL STUDENTS
dollars, more especially from , France,
Germany and Italy. The various stocks
of ■ groceries, dry goods, l wines, etc.,
one encounters in wholesale and retail
establishments are surprising.
.Machinery, tools and general" hard
ware are imported from the United
States. Undoubtedly. the business Vela,
tlon with our country, especially on the
part of Sonora, could be [doubled and
RECESS AT. COLLEGE DE SONOR A, HERMOSILLO
trebled Instantly, were the absurd tariff
barriers' removed. The people of the
United States, In the light of what now
transpires , before their 'eyes \ln j Cuba,
will, certainly discover that preventing
exports to themselves of a given staple
from a neighboring country also pro
hibits Imports from ourselves to exact
ly the same extent.
Los Angeles Is the natural wholesale
center of Sonoru, not Hamburg, Genoa
and Havro; but the wholesale mer
chants of Ilermosillo are in far closer
touch with the centers of \ European
trade than they are with' Lob Angeles,
San Francisco and ' St. Louis. They
purchase in those American cltles'wha.t
they must; the rest comes by steamers
via New Orleans, Tamplco, or, most
remarkable of 'all, whole shiploads
around Cape Horn. Nor must It be
supposed that this business community
consists of mere old-fashioned mer
chants, welded to old procedure. On the
contrary^ It Is doubtful If a city any
where, consisting {of somethlns less
than 20,000 people, possesses a more In
telligent, .wide-awake, thoroughly up
to-date type of business men. The pro
prietor and frequently one or more of
his clerks, will address you In good
Spanish If you understand the noblo
language of the Caßtillan. If not, Eng
lish, German. French, and not Infre
quently Italian is at your service.
The store may appear old-fashioned
judging by the United States western
standards, but the goods, the man and
possibly the prices are strictly up to
dute. Notwithstanding the embarrass
ing conditions surrounding' the trade
relations between Mexico and the Unit
ed States, and which, remarkable to
Htate, were made conspicuously bo dur
ing the days of the late speaker of tho
house, Thomas B. Reed, and since
maintained, a good deal of business Is
done In spite of the tariffs, which bears
the unmlstukable stamp of commerclul
provincialism instead of, international
statesmanship, such as Blalne project
ed and McKinley pleaded for in his
very last utterances.
The United States trade relations are
best shown In an official table. The
Sonora Railroad company handled at
its station at llermostllo during the last
year over 6000 carloads of goods, In
and out of tho city, subdivided as fol
lows:
Carload*.
iiittJ. comprUlng dry«oods. groc«il«». -
haul ware goudu, »to .1,140
Oranges ..y ..'..... • HW
MAGAZINE
1 9 0 5
BKNOR DON F. LOCEIZA
Hay,' all kinds ...'...'........'. ...,.730
Beer . — "•■*»
Dry hides . JO
Fruits, 'all kinds, except oranges , W
Other freight, mlxodj... .. 70
In the year ...:...i. ........... -j.'SO
Average received..:.... 2,000
' Handled, niore or less, 5000 carloads both
ways.
What Is popularly " known as "Ra
mon Corral Mill" Is a ; manufacturing
establishment which. ln point of capital
Invested, ' architectural appearance,
number of employes and output, would
do credit to San Francisco or Los An
geles. a' business proposition it
would be Important anywhere, for di
rectly and Indirectly it = stunds for an
liiAgestment of $r>oo,OOt>, biit its real im
portance is not covered by a mere bald
account from the ledger, however 'ac
curate. This modern 'flour mill Is not
merely a monument'to commercial en
terprise and far sighted "sagacity; it is
more.
As one proceeds to .investigate, the
traveler will discover that inside of
these walls there Is located as well the
source of the extensive system of elec
tric lights that Illuminated Hermosillo
at night, so comprehensively that It Is
questionable whether- a ..city of the'
same slxe In the United States pos
sesses anything equal to it. How thor
ough it is can be Judged by this: that
not even the time-honored privileges
of the caballeros and the exceedingly
charming Hermosillo belles, on parade
are permitted to tell all important se
crets ut night to each other, without
some "additional light" on the subject;
for the densely shaded - promenade on
the plaza, consisting, of .a double row
of heavy leaved orange trees Is perfect
ly illuminated from a continuous set of
Incandescent lamps suspended at short
distance from curved* iron arches
swung low over a modern glased brick
pavement. Looking. up, one discerns a
hundred thousand full-sized oranges' of
clear golden color reflected ngalnst the
pure white lime light of the modern
Magi. The scene Is made doubly effect
ive by the location of the stately "Pal
dclo," or Capitol building, directly op
ponlte the east entrance of the plaza,
and the cathedral in the corresponding
position to the west.
The Illuminated orange grove consti
tutes a perfect quadrangle around the ■.
sidewalk of the well kept park. Th§
trees are planted In a double row some
fifteen feet apart. Their luxuriant
growth converts their successive | tops
Into a completely Interwoven arch, un
deVneath which Is a promenade space
that easily accommodates five to ten '
thousand people. A night of full moon
and music, when the good people of
Hertnosll'lo are out In their best. Is
alone worth a Journey rrom the border
line. But these object lessons become
singularly Impressive In their suggest
lveness when It is remembered that the;
man who made the merry wheels go
round In a great flour mill, giving So
norans a chance to utilize their ancient
wheat fields to greater advantage than
ever before, establishing a great home
industry, and ■ who made their nights
seemingly successfully vie with the;
day In pure light, Is at th« very hour of
this writing Installed In the next to the
highest office of the republic of Mex
ico. In all human probability Don Ra-"
mon Corral of Hermosillo Is the direct
successor of one of, the most remark-;
able soldier statesmen ever produced in
the annals of the new world— tho hon
orable Porflrlo Diaz.
The difference lrf the career of the
Journalist, lawyer, governor and flnan-;
cler, Ramon Corral, and that of the ex- ;
ceptlonal soldier and executive states-,
man he will succeed, makes exactly the
difference of the two periods of ' Mex
ico's recent historic evolution, from an.
era of revolutionary unrest to a period,
of Industrial advancement : and ' flnan- .
ctal solvency, ; with a perfectly stable I
government, trusted at home, : honored ! : ;
and respected abroad.
In the early eighties the very im-^
portant ' rallroaS extension known as
f.'The Sonora road" was constructed
from Benson, , Arizona, thence via No
gales, directly southwest, to the princi
pal port of the state of Sonora; Guay
mas. Two factors : "were t taken f or ;
granted by the' financiers backing that :
pioneer, railroad project ; of ' northern \_
Mexico. First, that Guaymas ; would ;
become the leading city of Sonora; sec-"' .
ond, that .the great Hermosillo^ valley,
'would at once be "subject'to an 'extend"
slve l Irrigation system. Neither'. /of ;■
these expectations have been exactly, jj
realized.".' Guaymas Is, as she always;
•will remain, the chief port of the north®
half of the Gulf of California; jbutS
Hermosillo has become the commercial I
center of the state, and will so remain, •■'
One of the greatest of all factors in
this .permanency are the lands of : Its ■>
very extensive valley basin surround-,.-
Ing her, and In the very center of which
she is located. ' *
. The productiveness of these lands is '
no uncertain . quantity. The orange^
groves of Gen. Luis Tores,' or ': Vice V-
President Ramon Coral, both cultivated ■
under modern methods, testify to this
in the amplest manner. But the orange ■;
here as everywhere is chiefly valuable]
as an economic thermometer, by which '^
to measure what the agricultural and g
horticultural possibilities of a "given
region is. Thanks to the absurd tariff
regulations heretofore mentioned the
natural export market for oranges has I
been destroyed. But the virgin Boil of v
many hundreds of thousands of acres
lies there slumbering in the sunshine,
waiting merely for an irrigation ditch ■>
and a plow literally to . "laugh, with -j
grand harvest." Every product of ■'
Southern California and the Salt River
valley, Arizona, can be grown here,:
and not merely produced but the re
wards of the intelligent cultivator will
be 1000 per cent increase, for this soil
is not merely productive in the or
dinary sense of the words; its qualities
are extraordinary, and beyond the be
lief of any one who has not mado the
subject a special study.
There are two chief factors deter
mining this condition which here can
only be briefly outlined. The geologi
cal origin of the soil through the subsl- I
dence of the gulf left behind it billions
of disintegrated sea fauna. That im
plies the presence in abundance of the
all-Important fertilizing element : of j
phosphates, the bed rocks of which in :
the southern states of Carolina, etc.',
are as valuable as gold mines. The
e«cond factor in the horticultural , and
agricultural evolution that lies before
the Hermosillo valley and which nature
has equally provided for is its superior
natural drainage, some ten feet to the
mile for ninety odd miles, clear to the
sea. What the absence of drainage lm- :
plies In a semi-tropical climate one can
ascertain to best advantage in Fresno,',
central California. What perfect con
dition of natural drainage means can
be studied to superior advantage "at
Redlands, Southern California* which '
In less than twenty years has become;'
the undisputed leader in horticultural;
progress In that most advanced region j
of sclentlflo horticulture, Southern Call-;,
fornla. Almost the entire Hermosillo,
valley, averaging ten lies In width; with
100 tnllea In length, Is a perfect dupllf.;
cate, color and all, of the Redlands V
plateau.
The remarkable array of .business;!
energy and disciplined financial capa- '
city, which characterize the capital city :
of. Sonora, owes It to^; Itself and I!, the;
highest Interest of the state - to solve
the ' Irrigation ' problem as it , deserves '
to bo solved.
