Beyond the West: containing an account of two years' travel in the other half of our great continent far beyond the old West, on the plains, in the Rocky mountains, and picturesque parks of Colorado. Also, characteristic features of New Mexico, Arizona, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho ... Oregon, Utah, Nevada, and ... California, the end of the West ... the great continental railroad, together with the ... most wonderful natural scenery in the world .../ by George W. Pine.

CHAPTER XVIII.
NEW MEXICO GENERALLY.
This territory, containing about 122,000 square
miles, three times larger than New England, was a
part of Old Mexico previous to 1846; hence its name.
At the close of the Mexican war, it came legally
into the possession of our government. In 1848, at
the settlement of the war, the Mexican title to the
land was extinguished, and it came fully into the
possession of the United States. Since then settlements have been (quite large as to agriculture, stockraising and mining. These interests are now growing large, but being so far inland, away from all the
markets with the outer world, are restricted wholly to
home demand, as it would not pay them to team their
surplus eight hundred to a thousand miles away t(c
a market; but when the Southern Pacific Railway
shall be completed across this country, opening out
to the farming interest a ready and profitable
market, then it will present unusual advantages for
settlement.
The great Overland Stage Route, established by
John Buiitterfield and others, across the continent,
ran through this entire territory and fixed a line of
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