the two friars had started out to do, viz.: made a successful exploration of the country. They followed the course taken by the Franciscan monks along the valley of the Rio Grande River. As they progressed northward they encountered populous towns on every hand, which improved as they proceeded, until they found themselves in the midst of a land of thrift and plenty, where the art of spinning, weaving and dyeing was practiced by the natives in a very skillful manner with the very crudest of machinery. The topography of the country resembled Old Mexico so much, that these explorers gave it the name of New Mexico, and, therefore, the history of New Mexico really dates from 1582-3, although its discovery dates back to 1540-1.

Acoma was probably the greatest town visited during this expedition (Old Fort Wingate is situated forty miles north of Acoma). The town was built upon the flat top of a high cliff, accessible only by means of steps hewn out of the solid rock, forming an impregnable fortress. Large cisterns were hewn out of the solid rock to store their water supply. They grew corn quite extensively, their fields being at some distance from the town, owing to the barrenness immediately surrounding their home on the cliff, and also that the ground` might be irrigated by a neighboring stream. The Pueblos, therefore, were among America's first farmers to use the system of irrigation to supply the want of water, this section being dry and almost barren from lack of natural precipitation. The expedition turned westward from the valley of the Rio Grande and entered the land of Zuni. No particular discoveries were made, except here and there they found Spanish crosses erected by one of the former exploring parties, and they were told by the natives of a great lake, situated at a great distance, where a people dwelt who were very rich and wore bracelets and earrings of gold. The little band divided, some desiring to continue explorations with a view to finding this great lake, a small number desiring to return to New Biscay and report their discoveries, which they did. The leader, with a few men, continued his way forward, everywhere receiving good treatment from the natives, they regarding him and his followers as superior beings, caressing and feasting them while they remained in the country.

Without finding the great lake or the strange people who resided thereabouts, they returned to Old Mexico by the valley of the Pecos River, which they named "River of Oxen," because of the great herds of bison they encountered feeding along the valley. The reports by these returned explorers incited the people of Mexico to fit out an armed expedition with a view to conquering the Pueblos. The expedition was placed in charge of Juan de Onate, who invaded New

* Space does not permit an extensive description of Acoma. We refer you to "Three Years in Arizona and New Mexico," by S. W. Cozzens, for a full description of the Pueblo race of people, and assure you it will prove both interesting and valuable.-DANA.

Mexico in about the year 1585 (no official data obtainable. The San Miguel mission was erected in 1587 at Santa Fe, and gives sufficient basis to warrant us in assuming 1585 as the correct date). Onate went armed with the viceroy's commission as governor of the territory to be conquered. Accompanying this expeditiou was a number of Franciscan friars, bent upon converting the Indians as fast as conquered, to accomplish which they erected missions in the towns as fast as subdued.

Onate proceeded rapidly up the Rio Grande, conquering as he went, until finally he reached the point where Santa Fe now is and there began to erect his capital. The seat of government was firmly established at Santa Fe, and Onate and his successors ruled the native population with a severe hand. Inside of fifty years the Catholic clergy had succeeded in establishing fifty missions, and Spanish rule had reached its greatest prosperity. For forty years more, little, if any, progress was made; the Indians, especially the Apaches and Navajoes, had become restless and for years had kept up an incessant warfare upon the Spaniards.

In 1680 the native population arose en masse, determined to remain slaves no longer, and, after a severe struggle, they succeeded in driving the invaders from the country with great slaughter. The remnant of the fugitives halted when they had fled as far down the Rio Grande as the present boundary line between Texas and Old Mexico, and there founded a town, which continues to bear the name of El Paso del Norte (meaning "the gateway to the north.") It was nearly fifteen years before the Spaniards recovered from their repulse in New Mexico, and not until about 1695 did they attempt a second invasion of the coveted territory. It required nearly five years to restore the lost power over the Pueblos. This time their stay was permanent, and they remained masters of New Mexico, successfully weathering the successive revolutions in Old Mexico, up to the treaty with the United States in 1848, when Mexico ceded it away, and the United States became its possessor. Since that time considerable progress has been made in New Mexico, and we now find her knocking at the doors of Congress for admission to the Union as a state, and we unhesitatingly say she possesses most of the qualifications necessary to enter upon the duties of local self-government.

New Mexico is traversed from north to south, near its center by the Rocky Mountain Range, with peaks occasionally reaching up to an elevation of 14,000 to 14,500 feet. Less important ranges diversify the western portion, peaks sometimes reaching an elevation of 11,000 feet. The northeast corner of the state is taken up by the Ratoon mountains, which reach an elevation of 10,000 feet. The larger part of the east half is plains, used extensively for grazing the immense herds of cattle that are owned in that territory.

The climate is cold in the elevated portions, and mild and dry in the valleys and on the plains, but everywhere healthy. Very little rain falls, and irrigation is resorted to, in some localities on avery large scale, they and thereby are enabled to rank well as an agricultural territory. Gold, silver, lead, copper and zinc are found in considerable abundance in various portions of the territory. The largest mica mine in America is in New Mexico near the Colorado line, and is owned and worked by Denver capitalists. Coal is believed to be in abundance in the territory, although no considerable find has yet been reported.

The principal cities in the territory are Santa Fe, the capital, and next to St. Augustine, Florida, it is the oldest city in the United States. It contains the oldest house and oldest church building in the United States, both being built of adobe, (a sun-dried brick), the former in 1540, the latter in 1587; Taos, Albuqurque, and Las Vegas.

In 1886 the territory produced from 48,625 acres, 973,000 bushels of corn, valued at $681,100; from 80,566 acres, 921,000 bushels of wheat, valued at $644,000; from 15,078 acres, 528,000 bushels of oats, valued at $253,440; from 3,303 acres, 63,000 bushels of barley, valued at $53,550; from 1,050 acres, 101,000 bushels of potatoes, valued at $111,100; from 27,300 acres, 24,570 tons of hay, valued at $356,265; making the total value of field crops amount to $2,100,155. The territory contained, January 1st, 1888, farm animals as follows: 51,336 head of horses and mules, valued at $2,059,272; 19,394 head of milch cows, valued at $460,608; 1,257,597 head of oxen and other cattle, valued at $18,911,121; 3,623,168 head of sheep, valued at $3,953,239; 19,941 head of hogs, valued at $112,466; a total of 4,971,436 head of live stock, valued at $25,496,706, which, added to the average annual field product, makes a grand total of $27,596,861.

New Mexico, next to Texas, will reap the benefits of the establishment of deep harbors on the Texas Gulf coast, owing to her proximity, and the necessity of almost the entire northwest, to traverse her territory to reach the Gulf.

New Mexico is ably represented on the Inter-State Deep Harbor Committee, by such representative citizens as Hon. W. W. Griffin, of Santa Fe; Hon. Frank C. Plume, of Taos, and Hon. Numa Raymond, of Las Cruces.

CHAPTER XVII.

WASHINGTON TERRITORY-1845 TO 1889.

JASHINGTON TERRITORY was first permanently settled by Americans at Tumwater, in 1845, although explored by Lewis and Clarke as early as 1805, under the direction of the United States Government. Originally it was a portion of Oregon Territory, and when it was erected into a separate territory in 1853, it comprised all of its present dimensions, and included a portion of what is now Idaho and Montana Territories. When Oregon was admitted into the Union as a state in 1859, the remainder of Idaho and nearly all of Wyoming, being detached from Oregon, was added to Washington Territory. In 1863 and 1864 Idaho and Montana Territories were organized with their present dimensions, and what is now Wyoming was annexed to Dakota Territory, which was organized in 1861. Washington was then left with its present magnificent dimensions, comprising 69,180 square miles, divided by the Columbia River, and Cascade mountains, into three grand divisions-Eastern, Central, and Western Washington. The Eastern is mainly agricultural, the Central agricultural and stock raising, some precious metal mining in the Cascade mountains, likewise anthracite and bituminous coal is found in the Central division. The Western division is mainly made up of valuable forests, with a small per cent. of agriculture.

The territory is well supplied with bays and sounds, affording most excellent shipping facilities. The Columbia river, which forms a portion of the southern boundary, supplies ocean-ship navigation almost up to the Cascade mountains. Puget Sound extends south into the heart of the Western division, and abounds in excellont harbors. Olympia, the capital, is situated on the extreme southern point of this indentation, while the excellent shipping points, Tacoma and Seattle, are situated farther north, on the same branch of Puget Sound.

The diversity of natural resources of Washington have attracted a large immigration to the territory, which has had the effect to force the National Government to recognize the territory's demands for statehood, and an Enabling Act was passed at the last session of Congress, providing for the admission of the State of Washington.

Washington is entitled to the second place in agricultural possibilities of all the territories, Dakota only being superior.

In 1887, Washington produced from 3,375 acres, 88,000 bushels of corn, valued at $66,000; from 445,490 acres, 7,560,000 bushels of