234 EL PASO 
really knew of any or not (and it is my belief that 
they did), I thought it best not to put myself in their 
hands, but to maintain the position I had taken from 
the commencement ; namely, that our object was to 
survey the boundary between the United States and 
Mexico, the meaning of which they had been made 
to fully comprehend. 
But the great value of the Copper Mine region, 
which extends from the Gila eastward about fifty 
miles towards the Rio Grande, is in its fine forests of 
timber. The principal trees are two species of ever- 
green oaks; two cedars, one like our red cedar, the 
other with a berry much larger, and several pines, 
among them the Pinus edulis, or pifon pine. This 
bears an edible nut, which is a favorite article of food 
with the Indians. It is quite pleasant to the taste, 
but is rather small and troublesome to eat. So rich a 
timbered country does not exist between the Missis- 
sippi valley and the Pacific, except in the mountainous 
district of Upper California. Should a railway be con- 
structed across the country south of the Gila, its timber 
must be procured from this quarter. The value of 
pine timber in this region can be appreciated when’ 
I state, that there is not a single floor made of boards 
or plank in the town of El Paso; nor have I ever seen 
one in any part of New Mexico, Chihuahua, or Sonora. 
In El Paso, I was obliged to purchase a few hundred 
feet for doors, tables, and various fittings, for which I 
paid one hundred and seventy-five dollars a thousand. 
For building purposes, therefore, this timber would 
prove immensely valuable. 
The buildings at the Copper Mines consist of 
: 
; 
: 
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