12 Department Circular 2W, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture. 



of them dating back to the days of the Spanish occupation. In addi- 

 tion to these monuments and ruins found within the general region, 

 in the high mountains there are also excellent streams for fishing as 

 well as many scenic attractions. The delightful climatic conditions 

 will doubtless in time assure a large development of the many re- 

 sources of the region. Even now many attractive parts of the Forest 

 are comparatively inaccessible, and travelers usually content them- 

 selves with visiting the town of Taos, which has become famous for 

 its Indian pueblo, its picturesque Indian festivals, its historic build- 

 ing and traditions, and for its colony of American artists. 



As rapidly as funds permit, roads and trails are being built on the 

 Carson Xational Forest by both the Federal and State Governments. 

 A good road has already been completed from Taos up Taos Canyon 

 to the top of the divide where it joins the road to Cimarron. The 

 Red River Road from Ute Park west over the divide and down Red 

 River to Questa, thence to Taos, has also recently been finished. 

 These roads give access to the heart of the Taos Mountains with their 

 unexcelled scenery and excellent camping places. 



THE DATIL NATIONAL FOREST. 



(In Catron, Sierra, and Socorro Counties.) 



The Datil Xational Forest comprises 2,903,720 acres and is the 

 largest in the United States, outside of Alaska, and is one of the rich- 

 est in Xew Mexico in possibilities for future development. It is 

 composed of five divisions within the Mogollon, San Francisco, 

 Mangas, Gallo, Tulerosa, Elk, Datil, Gallinas, Magdalena, San Mateo, 

 and Black Range mountain chains of west central Xew Mexico and 

 includes a gross area of nearly 3,000,000 acres, administered with 

 headquarters at Magdalena. 



The Datil Forest is particularly valuable as a watershed, lying at 

 the headwaters of the Gila and Little Colorado Rivers, along whose 

 valleys there are many agricultural communities both in Arizona and 

 Xew Mexico. The headwaters of these rivers are derived from the 

 mountainous country in the western division, where there are a num- 

 ber of living streams. The east portion of the Forest is compara- 

 tively dry, but its importance as a watershed is greatly enhanced 

 by the fact that it is all tributary to the Rio Grande River above 

 the Elephant Butte Dam. 



The timber resources of the Datil Xational Forest are enormous. 

 However, on account of the inaccessibility of much of the Forest, 

 the development of these resources may be said scarcely to have 

 begun. The total stand is estimated at about 3,330,000,000 board 

 feet of saw timber and 4,850,000 cords of wood. The saw timber 

 is principally western yellow pine, Douglas fir, and spruce: the cord- 

 wood is pihon, juniper, and oak. The few parte of this vast body 



