Crittenden and  Calabasas 
Pima Co. Az
Arizona Republican Newspaper
October 23, 1897

Taking advantage of an opportunity to enjoy a drive to Calabasas 
with George Atkinson, behind two spirited roadsters, I bid adios 
to Nogales.  The route taken was over the stage road which courses 
the Sonoita, a tributary of the Santa Cruz. It was a fine drive and 
improved as progress was made. At Calabasas we parted company, Mr. 
Atkinson going on about a mile to his ranch.  The gentleman said he 
had been in the southwest thirty seven years, nineteen of which had 
been spent in Arizona, the time being devoted largely to cattle 
raising.

To the hotel at Calabasas, something of the historic is attached 
to it, being located as a summer resort.  Changes have been wrought 
to such a degree that it has fallen into a decline.  For years 
Colonel C.P. Sykes and family have been identified with the 
surroundings and of late doors have been closed to guests.  At 
present Mrs. Sykes and her daughter are the sole occupants of 
the mansion.  The colonel is expected daily from the east where 
he has been negotiating a deal in his wonderful stone and onyx 
quarries, which are located on Sycamore Creek, a half day's 
ride from Prescott. I met the colonel in Prescott at the Burke 
at which time he exhibited to me specimens of the stone taken 
out.

In the vicinity of Calabasas are located besides those mentioned, 
Thomas D. Casenluaga, stockman and rancher; Edward  Egan, Mrs. 
Mercer, Morgan R. Wise and son, Joseph, ranchers and dealers in 
cattle; Mrs. J.A. Saxto, teacher, Mr. Campbell, store keeper and 
agent and the Santa Rita Cattle Company's headquarters. Some 
12,000 head of cattle were shipped out the past season to the 
S.P., 7,000 of the number driven down the Santa Cruz to Tucson, 
the cattlemen claiming a gain of 75 cents per head.  

Below towards Nogales, in the Portero, a ditch as it were, 
Morgan Wise happened to be a native of my state, the Keystone, 
and that led me to call. Though his agency I dined on tortillas, 
frijoles, jerked beef and black coffee, the gentlemen having 
instructed his neighbor, a Mexican woman to prepare the lay out.

A short hour's ride on the N.M. and a. brought us into Crittenden 
and awakening John South we were shown quarters in the stone 
hotel.  Crittenden is a cattle and ore shipping point. This year 
the cattle were moved from Huachuca siding, twenty miles north 
of Crittenden.  Drop into William Powers for spirits. Mr. John 
South runs the post office, store and hotel while Gin Beet and 
Company (not sugar beet) keeps a restaurant and store. There is 
a blacksmith shop and section house, while Judge Goode is the 
justice of the peace and J.E. Guy the railway agent. Powers 
has been in the locality since 1884.  Business here will be 
at a standstill for a month the Columbia smelter having closed 
town temporarily.  Three miles north of Crittenden on the 
Sonita is the fine fruit ranch of Rollin Richardson, cattleman 
and rancher.  The Goode boys bring meats from the ranch to 
Rollin and Crittenden.

Three miles below Crittenden is Rollin, a level location where 
judge Vanderlip undertook to establish a town site. He donated 
a lot near the academy of music to a Tucson newspaper man but 
the town has not advanced beyond a camp of tents, nearly every 
one occupied by Mexicans.  The judge is on the hermitatage, a 
big tent covering his possessions.  During a call the judge 
prepared a pot of coffee that queen Victoria would not have 
sneezed at.

Harshaw is on the west slope of the Patagonia Mountains, seven 
miles southeast and the Flux on the east slope, six miles south.   
These claims of the smelter company have been worked for nearly 
a year.  The product is lead and silver ore of low grade and 
found in large bodies.  Richard Eames, Jr., general manager, 
L.S. Austin, metallurgist; H.B. Starbord, assayer, Arthur E. 
Cripen, store manager and Home Santee, late of Brady and 
Levin, Tucson clerk.


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